Princess Kate isn't thrilled about George's new interest, apparently

She's a little worried, in fact.

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George of Cambridge attend the Men's Singles Final at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 10, 2022 in London, England.
(Image credit: Photo by Karwai Tang / Getty)

The Wales children's sporty side has long been encouraged by their parents Kate and William — both sporty people themselves.

In the past, George, Charlotte and Louis have been known to be refining their tennis skills, as well as exploring the joys of football, rugby, ballet, plus many non sports-based hobbies.

But according to one royal expert, there's a sport Prince George would like to try that his mum Princess Kate isn't thrilled about, presumably because it can be dangerous.

"It's not just Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte that Catherine has to take under her wing, nurture and make sure they understand the workings of the monarchy," royal commentator Neil Sean said on his YouTube channel (via Express).

"Prince George, one day, will become our King, yes a big responsibility already for a nine-year-old.

"Even more so if you're Princess Catherine because, now sadly, for her, she's a little bit reticent about this idea.

"[George] apparently has taken up the idea of martial arts."

The expert explained that the Wales children's nanny is "trained in it and apparently was discussing it."

Neil added: "This is something that apparently Prince George has taken very much to heart.

"He likes the idea of, you know, basically looking after himself."

The expert said that while Kate is "a little bit concerned," William thinks it would be healthy for his eldest son.

"His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales thinks this will be good character building, good for him to have that sort of independence," Neil said.

It remains to be seen whether George will end up trying his hand at martial arts, but his and his siblings' new school, Lambrook, certainly isn't short of activities for the children to explore: they notably have a swimming pool, a dance studio and a golf course. Casual!

As for their mum Kate, she loves playing tennis, and is also patron of the Rugby Football Union. Their dad William loves polo and football, among other things.

Iris Goldsztajn
Iris Goldsztajn is a celebrity and royal news writer for Marie Claire. As a London-based freelance journalist, she writes about wellness, relationships, pop culture, beauty and more for the likes of InStyle, Women's Health, Bustle, Stylist and Red. Aside from her quasi-personal investment in celebs' comings and goings, Iris is especially interested in debunking diet culture and destigmatising mental health struggles. Previously, she was the associate editor for Her Campus, where she oversaw the style and beauty news sections, as well as producing gift guides, personal essays and celebrity interviews. There, she worked remotely from Los Angeles, after returning from a three-month stint as an editorial intern for Cosmopolitan.com in New York. As an undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles, she interned at goop and C California Style and served as Her Campus' national style and LGBTQ+ editor. Iris was born and raised in France by a French father and an English mother. Her Spotify Wrapped is riddled with country music and One Direction, and she can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.